Two Weeks...That's it!

Getting hair washed!

It has been two weeks since Ava had her surgery, some days it feels like two months! Don't get me wrong, things are going way better then I could hope and everyone has adapted quickly but some days feel like they will never end. Our days are beginning way earlier then normal, usually around 6:30 am but sometimes as early as 5:30am. Ava is handling the cast great and really doesn't complain about it. The simple things are the hardest to adjust too such as an itch on her foot or pulling up her covers, these things she can't do for herself. I've been able to squeeze in a 30 minute work out each day but not without the constant "Are you done yet?" and she really enjoys when we go for a walk. We manage to wash her hair and clean her exposed body parts by laying her on the kitchen counter and hanging her head into the sink. At first she was resistant and scared of this but after a few times she is enjoying it. Luckily she is able to sit on the toilet just fine so we are not dealing with a smelly cast. The edges of the cast are lined with mole skin to protect the rubbing of the cast on her skin. Unfortunately Ava had a bad experience with the mole skin being applied at the hospital by a nurses aid that seemed to not have a lot of experience with the application. She hit Ava's incision and made her bleed and caused some pain. Now Ava screams bloody murder when this has to be changed. Luckily her cast is staying clean and we do not have to do it often.  Today I changed it all (with Ava screaming) and it went pretty smoothly since all her swelling is gone and it is easy to get the edges inside her cast. After Ava said "When I get my purple cast on can you put the mole skin on so the nurses don't hurt me?" I guess I did okay. Hopefully we will not have to change it again. We are settling into our routine and kept really busy through out the day. I don't think one of us is not exhausted by the end of the day, including Jack who has been a tremendous help in keeping his sister happy.

Spica Chair!!

A must have when your child is in a Spica cast (especially at this age) is a Spica chair. I was fortunate enough to find someone on a Facebook page that gave the plans for them free. With the help of Jack, my brother was able to build Ava her own Spica chair. This is an absolute life saver, it really has changed everything. Ava can now sit up straight to eat, play games, color, paint and to do other crafts. She is so much happier since the chair was delivered Saturday and even though she still needs to switch up the positions her body is in, most of the time she wants to be in the chair. Ava is able to go longer periods of time playing, enabling us to get things done around the house. Either David or I is with the kids 24/7. It's amazing how quickly your body can adapt to the lack of sleep and the constant going. Yesterday I actually got to nap (I literally passed out on the couch, so I guess I needed it) and even got to get a pedicure. I felt like new person after, we all have to be revived from time to time. Although we have had tons of offers for people to stay with Ava, I am not comfortable with people lifting and carrying Ava yet. It's difficult for me to leave her for even short periods of time but I know I need to take the break for my own mental health. On Friday is Ava's post op visit with Dr A. She will have an x ray done to make sure the hip is in place and healing properly. Hopefully after this appointment we will be able to breath a sigh of relief for a couple weeks, if all looks good we will be all set for the right hip surgery on July 18th. I can not wait for the reassurance that Ava is healing properly and on the road to healthy hips. I dread the next surgery, the hours waiting and the days in the hospital. At least this time we'll know what to expect and we will be at the half way point. I hope the next few weeks go quicker then the last few. I am so thankful to the people around us that are helping us get through this. There are so many kind and generous people out there. I am so proud of my Jack. He dotes on his sister and helps so much in her care and for the most part does so without complaint. He just wants Ava to be well and healthy again. Ava is an amazing little girl. She is handling her self so well and tolerates the annoyance of her cast like no other. I look forward to the day that our little butterfly is running around our house pain free and healthy!!